


Undercover

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You [1]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst and Feels, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEPost Doomsday A/U: There is a mysterious reading coming from a basement in London, 2056. The Doctor and Rose have to infiltrate a gala, undercover, and stop whatever is going on. Action/Adventure and lots of Doctor/Rose feels.“Doctor?” she asked, biting her lip.“Hm?” he responded, his eyes lingering on her mouth longer than he anticipated.“You have my permission to, er, you know… kiss me or whatever, since we’re supposed to be, um, well, you know -” she tried to say it without sounding like a complete moron. She clearly failed. He smiled despite himself.“Married! Oh, that’s right! Very good, Rose, good thinking. Yup,” he said, diverting his gaze and clearing his throat again. “Allons-y!”
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2030980
Comments: 12
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

They don’t do undercover. 

At least, not like this. 

Sure, they’ve been known to whip out some psychic paper and infiltrate their way into all sorts of scenarios, or throw on the occasional new outfit, but as Rose Tyler wrapped her shoulder length blonde hair under a very wavy red wig, she sighed. 

This was _undercover._

She adjusted the wig as needed and pinned it in place before exhaling a deep breath, her bottom lip fluttering. She was wearing a very form fitting black dress, one that cut deeper on her chest than anything she had worn in the last three years with the Doctor. It accentuated her breasts and the straps were barely straps at all, crisscrossing along her back to hold the fabric together, but not enough to hide the skin that was showing on that side of her either from the plunging cuts the designer of this dress seemed to adore.

If she was being honest, she loved it, but she was more than nervous about how a certain emotionally distant Time Lord might react. 

He probably won’t. 

He rarely did. 

He might. 

The dress was long and covered her feet, so with a knowing smile she put her favorite trainers on instead of heels. They would most certainly have to run at some point tonight. 

With one last fleeting glance in the mirror to make sure her makeup looked alright, she left her room and headed toward the control panel of the TARDIS. 

He was standing there with his back to her, his hands tucked into his tuxedo. She could tell he had applied extra hair gel even from the distance she was at, but she felt her breath catch in her throat as he turned around when he heard her. 

He felt his catch as well. 

He was exquisite. His hair had more volume that usual, causing the features of his face to look more chiseled than she remembered, even though she just saw him an hour ago. His eyebrow was arched, as it usually was, in the way that makes her knees feel like jelly. A simple bowtie sat around his neck, and she couldn’t help but bite her lip and flash her tongue in cheek smile when she noticed he, too, was wearing his favorite pair of trainers. His beloved chucks. 

The Doctor tried to focus on his breath, especially after she smiled at him in that way. His hearts pounded against his chest, threatening to tell her his deepest secrets. He liked the red hair. He _really_ liked the red hair. 

He tried to stop his eyes from dropping to her bare skin, but it was impossible. She was practically glowing against the light of the control panel, and the Doctor was suddenly very aware of his words. Use them. Now. Speak. 

“You look beautiful,” he managed to say, and both of their minds flashed to a distant memory of the first time Rose wore a dress around him, on a snowy evening in 1869. 

“You mean considering?” she said, a little breathless, afraid to move closer as her knees still felt weak. Their eyes locked for a moment, hazel galaxies swirling with chocolate. 

His eyes gave him away. 

Rose felt her playful smile fall and her head spun for a moment, until the Doctor clenched his jaw and cleared his throat. His eyebrow somehow arching more than it was. 

It was going to be a long night. 

He held his hand out to her, the moment seemingly passed, as he flashed her his excited smile. She grinned back, happily taking hold of him, clutching her small handbag the TARDIS had given her in her other hand. It was bigger on the inside. 

“Right! So - identities. Psychic paper is making them up now. Here you go!” the Doctor said, sounding as bubbly as ever as he handed Rose some props he had delighted himself in crafting. 

“I’m James McKinnon. And youuuuu’re -” he began, opening up her psychic paper to see what it came up with, “Rachel McKinnon. Ooh same last name….” he said, trailing off at the end. Their eyes met, and Rose watched his Adam's Apple rise and fall. “Guess we’re… married in this scenario.” 

He couldn’t deny the glee that filled him up. Rose tried not to smile. 

“Guess so,” she said. 

_Why,_ exactly, they had to be uncover was still a mystery to her. He just told her the TARDIS had picked out what they needed and to go change. Still trying not to seem too excited at the idea of pretending to be married for the night, Rose instead focused her attention on the few other things sprawled out on the console table that made her cock an eyebrow at him. 

“Lipstick?” she asked. He nodded eagerly and held it up. 

“In case we get separated. Can’t believe I never thought of it before, but it’s actually a laser so you can open doors or whatever you might need!” he told her, tossing her the small item. 

“Don’t throw it!” she exclaimed, alarmed. He laughed. 

“We’ll also need these,” he began, handing her 3D glasses. “This is the height of the Cyber Age. These glasses will help you spot Void Stuff.” 

He gripped her hand now, both remembering the last time they encountered Void Stuff. The day he almost lost her. 

But he didn’t want to dwell on that now, especially seeing as how everything worked out. He had managed to cross the void, into the Parallel World after all, and pull Rose back before the final rift was closed for good. 

Jackie and Pete came too. Mickey stayed. 

It had been a year since those events, and Rose flashed the Doctor that same smile from before. His favorite smile. 

She would be the first to say that there had been many, many _almost_ moments with the Doctor. In the last year especially, there have been nights where she could swear he was in her room watching her sleep, as if he was terrified she would somehow fly away. 

There had been fleeting moments of passion. A long kiss after another near fatal experience, for instance, but nothing had really ever come of it. They never talked about it; hadn’t labeled anything. 

And, of course, they did give each some really great hugs. 

But it didn’t stop her from wishing. Or from noticing the way his gaze made her feel in this moment as she took the glasses from his hand and placed them in her handbag. 

She wanted to stay there, lost in his eyes, but he broke quickly (he always did) and grabbed the last two props from the console table. 

“What’s this?” Rose asked, holding up a small disk. 

“Sonic beam,” the Doctor said. His voice was more serious than it was a few moments before, as if his mind had been far away thinking about something. Rose had a feeling she knew what it was. “Another weapon. Will push enemies away from you.” 

Rose nodded, placing that in her bag alongside the psychic paper, lipstick, and glasses. The last thing she picked up was a chocolate. She looked up, and his worried demeanor was once again gone, replaced by a giddy smile and wagging eyebrows. 

“That’s just for luck,” he told her, stuffing his own face with a piece. She rolled her eyes and ate hers as well before picking up the bag again and grabbing the Doctor’s hand. 

It wasn’t just for luck. But he didn’t want her to know how worried he was. 

“The Cybermen… they won’t-” Rose began. The Doctor stiffened, just for a moment, before shaking his head. 

“They’re gone. But something is out there, and I just… I need us to be prepared.” 

_I need you. I need you to be safe._ He had wanted to say. But he didn’t. He kicked himself. He was a bloody coward. 

He grabbed her hand instead, his eyes meeting hers. 

“Doctor?” she asked, biting her lip. 

“Hm?” he responded, his eyes lingering on her mouth longer than he anticipated. 

“You have my permission to, er, you know… kiss me or whatever, since we’re supposed to be, um, well, you know -” she tried to say it without sounding like a complete moron. She clearly failed. He smiled despite himself. 

“Married! Oh, that’s right! Very good, Rose, good thinking. Yup,” he said, diverting his gaze and clearing his throat again. “Allons-y!” 

:::::

They exited the TARDIS and began to walk, arm in arm, toward the gala near Buckingham Palace they were told to join. It was London, 2056, and Jack had sent them a message that there was unusual activity coming from the basement of an event center hosting a party for wealthy political donors at this time. He wanted to tag along as well, but he was stuck on another planet for ship repairs and sent them in his stead. 

Jack was the one who recommended the undercover identities. As they approached the gala space, they figured out why. 

Reward posters for the capture of “the Doctor and his blonde companion” were plastered everywhere. How did they know? 

Their pictures weren’t on these posters, but Rose self-consciously touched the red wig, and the Doctor squeezed her hand. 

“Not to worry,” he assured her in her ear as they approached the entrance. They exchanged their names with the check-in desk and flashed their psychic paper ID cards, and watched as the rope pulled back to allow them to enter. 

The Doctor laced his arm around Rose’s waist, thinking it was more of what a married couple might do, and she felt a shiver go down her spine as his hand briefly brushed her bare back. He smirked. 

The gala was elegant. Hundreds of people were gathered indoors and on the patio, sipping champagne and chatting about all sorts of rather boring topics. Rose and the Doctor looked around, trying to see if they could detect anything that seemed out of the ordinary in any way. 

“Champagne?” a robot asked, wheeling up them holding a tray. Rose felt uneasy, but as the Doctor held her close and told the droid thank you, she calmed. They each took a glass, but she waited to drink. She couldn’t remember ever seeing the Doctor drink alcohol before, and she was certain he probably had some ridiculously high tolerance to it. 

“Doctor?” she asked. He arched an eyebrow. 

“James,” he reminded her, in case anyone could hear. She swallowed. Calling him another name was going to be _so weird._ And, she couldn’t deny, a little arousing. It felt like role-play. 

She blushed as that thought entered her head and tried to shake it off. 

“James,” she whispered, a little more seductively than she meant to, “am I supposed to drink this?” 

“If you want,” he murmured. “Er, I mean, no! No - don’t drink it. Just for appearances.” 

He winked at her, and she tried not to blush again. She was unsuccessful. 

Out of the corner of her eye, as she slipped her hand back into the Doctor’s, she saw a woman with a fleeting expression walking away from the crowd, looking over her shoulder. The Doctor saw it too, and they began to move after her as discreetly as they could. 

“Hello! Who are you two, then?” an older gentleman in a tuxedo asked as he approached them, his face round and his beard scruffy. The Doctor turned quickly, his arm finding the small of Rose’s back again. She shuddered. 

“Hello, I’m James McKinnon,” he said, holding his hand out to shake the older man’s. 

“I’m his, um, wife. I’m Rachel,” Rose added, holding her hand out to shake the man’s as well. She stiffened in annoyance when he kissed her hand instead. The Doctor began to rub his hand along her back again to calm her; he knew how she felt about things like that. 

“You are divine, Mrs. Rachel McKinnon,” the older man said. “Might I ask what you and your husband do?” 

There was something about the man that felt strange to Rose. The Doctor watched her for a moment as she pondered him, but ultimately went on with their undercover personas. 

“I’m a physics professor,” the Doctor said, his eyes carefully watching the old man. “Rachel is -” 

“I’m a lawyer,” Rose said firmly. “Defense Attorney.” 

The Doctor smirked and bit his cheek to keep from smiling. How he adored this woman. 

Not that he would ever tell her. He was too much of a bloody coward. 

“Ah. What sort of cases do you take, Mrs. McKinnon?” the man asked. Her eyes narrowed. 

“Why?” she pressed. He simply smiled and laughed a big belly laugh, as if he was Santa Claus. 

“Just making small talk! My, my, James, you’ve got a feisty one here!” the man said. Rose took a deep breath and the Doctor simply squeezed her waist. 

“Only when they bad guys are around,” the Doctor added, smiling. The man’s laughter dropped and he cleared his throat, shaking his head quickly. 

“R-right. Of course. Of course, if you’ll excuse me-” he began to say, but the Doctor moved ever so slightly to block his path. 

“What did you say your name was?” he asked, still smiling. 

“Oh! I, well, I suppose I didn’t. My apologies. I’m Peter Geralds,” he said. The Doctor’s eyes registered the name but he simply nodded and moved aside. 

“Enjoy the party, Mr. Geralds,” the Doctor said. The man seemed confused, but moved on to the next couple he could bother. 

“Know him?” Rose asked under her breath, turning with the Doctor to watch the old man in the crowd. 

“Yes,” the Doctor whispered. “Peter Geralds eventually goes to prison in 2060 for sexual harassment and money laundering charges - it’s a big case, lots of coverage, but I don’t think he’s who we’re looking for.” 

“Typical,” Rose mutters. “What about the woman?” 

They turned back and saw she was gone. Slowly, and carefully, they continued their way through the party, saying hello and making small talk, as they attempted to reach the hallway the woman disappeared into. 

Just as they were about to reach their destination, the clatter of spoons against glass began to erupt in the hall. They were caught in a toast. 

“Thank you all so much for coming!” a voice said. Rose and the Doctor looked around and saw a woman making her way up to a platform that was built for this occasion against the back wall of the main hall. It was the same woman they saw fleeing before, and they watched in anticipation. 

She was tall, very tall, wearing a floor length gold dress and ringlet curls that she pulled up into a high bun. Her dark eyes and dark hair made her look a little sickly, Rose thought, but the smile on her face made it seem like this event was everything she had ever hoped for. 

The Doctor caught Peter Geralds watching Rose again and he frowned. 

“Still okay to kiss you?” he asked her. She looked at him in surprise. 

“Y-yeah,” she said, her heart pounding. “Why?” 

“Creepy Mr. Geralds is staring. Might shut him down,” the Doctor whispered. Rose smiled. 

Every fiber in her body told her to tell him _yes, yes, a million times yes!_

But she knew whatever speech this woman was about to give was one they needed to hear, and she doubted they would be able to focus much on anything if he were to possessively kiss her in this moment. 

“You’re sweet,” Rose whispered. “Maybe after the speech, if he’s still staring, yeah?” 

The Doctor grinned at her and pulled her closer to him, glancing back at Peter one more time. His eyes were now on the woman on the stage, and the Doctor’s eyes followed. 

“The people in this room are some of my closest friends,” she began. Rose rolled her eyes. No one had five hundred close friends. 

“More like my closest piggy banks,” she muttered. 

“I am so honored to be standing here with all of you as we kick off this year’s drive. This has been a passion of mine for such a long time, and I am pleased to announce that with all of your help, I am confident we can raise enough money to fund our latest endeavor at Ridgemont Entities: the Sidekick! We’ll bring the prototype on stage in ten minutes, please enjoy some hors d'oeuvres and drinks, we can’t wait to share this with you.” 

The Doctor felt his hearts quicken. He knew who that woman was. He knew what the Sidekick was, and he knew that _nothing_ about this was good. 

“Rose - “ he said under his breath, gripping her waist. 

“Rachel,” she corrected with her tongue in cheek smile. He sighed and smiled back. 

“Right,” he added, “Rachel - come with me.” 

The crowd was applauding, and the Doctor and Rose carefully moved backwards as if they were heading to get another drink. Peter’s eyes followed, but he was pulled into conversation by a young man in a red suit, and when the Doctor calculated they weren’t being watched he grabbed Rose’s hand and pulled her into a closet by the bathrooms. 

“What is it?” she asked. It was a small closet, and her body was pushed up against his. She tried to ignore the warm feeling it was giving her, especially since so much of what was touching him was bare skin. He noticed too, but shook his head to stop himself from tearing off her clothes. Not that he would anyway, being the coward he was, but he definitely thought about it. 

_Focus!_ His mind screamed at him. 

“That woman is Michelle Ridgemont, she’s a mid 21st century heiress. Her father founded Ridgemont Entities in 2035 after he discovered the remnants of a droid from the planet Killison here on Earth. It was caught in a meteor in 2032 and, well, actually it’s rather fascinating -” 

“Doctor,” Rose said quickly. He was rambling. 

“Sorry, right. He became obsessed with the technology and tried to recreate it. Over and over and over. He is the pioneer of the Cyber Age of the 21st Century, but…. well, let’s just say these droids don’t exactly do as they are told.” 

Rose’s breath quickened as he spoke. 

“The Cybermen sort of did what they wanted, too, Doctor,” she whispered. He looked at her sadly. 

“I know. These are… worse.” 

“Are there voids and parallel universes here?” she asked seriously, her hand resting on his chest and her eyes avoided his. It was a year ago, she was okay, but she didn’t think she could live that nightmare a second time. 

“No,” he whispered, tilting her chin up to look at his face. “The rifts are closed. We made sure of it. And plus you ate the chocolate, so…” 

“What does that mean?” Rose asked, rolling her eyes at him. He clenched his jaw and looked down at his feet, shrugging. 

“I didn’t want to alarm you, I’m sorry, I probably should have told you, and it’s perfectly safe...but well… I may have picked that chocolate up in the parallel world when I went to get you. It has small magnetized ions in it, like I said - perfectly safe, but basically our systems are giant magnets for the next 48 hours, so even if a void were to appear, hypothetically, because it’s NOT going to happen, you -” 

He was cut off by her lips pressing against his. It was firm, then soft, and _oh so_ wonderful. She moved her hands from his chest to his cheeks, holding his face to her and continuing to kiss him. He froze for a moment, and his brain seemingly shut off the moment he realized how warm her mouth was. 

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, as if that was even possible in this tiny closet, his mouth glued to hers. 

They separated after a moment and stared at each other. The Doctor was breathless, and Rose was flushed. 

“Thank you,” she somehow managed to say. 

“I’m not going to lose you, Rose Tyler,” he told her, his voice low and husky. 

It was there again, one of those fleeting moments of passion. But this time, it lingered in the air a little longer than usual. 

Maybe it was her dress. Maybe it was the wig. Maybe it was the look on her face as she stared at him. Maybe... it was just _her_. Whatever the reason was, the Doctor did something he had never done before. He kissed her a second time within moments of the first. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the fifth kiss, their tongues were dancing and hands were exploring. 

Rose's dress was slipping off her shoulder. 

The closest door opened. 

“Oh!” a voice exclaimed. Rose and the Doctor separated as much as they could and turned, seeing the woman from the stage, Michelle, gawking at them. 

“This is _not_ that kind of party!” she hissed. Rose smirked. 

“Rachel McKinnon. This is my husband, James. Can we chat?”


	2. Chapter 2

Michelle still gawked at Rose as she casually lifted her dress back into place. The Doctor’s eyes were glassy, and he had a very similar expression to the one he wore after his kiss with Rose/Cassandra on New Earth. She nudged him with her shoulder, snapping him back to reality as Rose continued to smile politely at Michelle. 

“We have some questions,” Rose said kindly. 

“I think not,” Michelle finally snapped. “Get out of the closet.” 

A little reluctantly on both of their parts, the Doctor and Rose did just that, still adjusting their clothing ever so subtly. The Doctor, aroused, put his hands in his pockets to avoid touching Rose. 

He needed a moment. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get a duster for the prototype,” Michelle said, grabbing one from the closet and quite literally _huffing_ away from them. They watched her very carefully, thinking about stopping her, but decided to see what the prototype looked like first. They turned to look at each other. 

There was a moment of lust dancing between them, and Rose found herself starting her tongue in cheek smile. The Doctor’s breath hitched. 

“Don’t,” he warned, quietly. “Can’t take that at the moment.” 

Rose felt her stomach do a somersault. 

“Sorry,” she whispered, very breathlessly. 

She wanted to pull him back in that closet and continue to do whatever they were doing. She wanted to ask him what was happening between them, but, as per usual, the universe needed saving first. 

“Serious question?” she asked. The Doctor nodded, welcoming anything to distract from the pressure he felt in his groin. “You said the chocolate made us magnetic, and we’re about to be around a metal droid -” 

“Ah,” the Doctor said, his brain delighting in her question, “all the droids in this time are metal compounds, mixed with lots of other materials, most of which aren’t magnetic. We won’t get pulled into them or anything, but careful not to touch, might be a little hard to remove your hands.” 

“I know the feeling,” she mumbled, not talking about the droids. 

“Rose -” he groaned, the pressure building back up. 

_Something_ was going on with them. That much Rose was sure of. 

“Rachel,” she reminded him. This was his game, these identities. He had to play along. 

She took a shaky breath and turned her eyes away from him. He smirked again. 

It was a fun and dangerous dance they were doing. 

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Michelle making her way back to the stage. 

“Here we go,” Rose whispered. The Doctor nodded, trying desperately not to watch Rose’s body sway as she walked in front of him back toward the crowd. 

He failed. 

The mood began to dissipate when he made eye contact with Peter, who gave him a thumbs up and approving look. He realized he must have lipstick on his face, and grimaced at the old man praising him for it. Especially _this_ old man. 

He carefully pulled out a tissue from his pocket and wiped his mouth, catching his breath a little when he did indeed find Rose’s lipstick there. 

_Careful._ His brain warned. 

The audience began to clap, and Michelle walked up on stage with her arms out, cheering along with them. Both the Doctor and Rose watched as a single droid followed her. It was about four feet tall, silver and red, a simple, round shape. It reminded Rose a little of a Dalek, and she felt her pulse quicken. It didn’t have the eye or laser arm, but just one look at this thing told her something wasn’t right. 

The Doctor grabbed her hand. 

“A brighter tomorrow is here TODAY!” Michelle shouted, and an eruption of thunderous applause echoed the hall. Neither the Doctor or Rose were smiling. The droid was shifting from left to right ever so slightly. “May I introduce the prototype for the newest endeavor at Ridgemont Entities: the Sidekick! This new droid is designed to anticipate your every need, and have it ready for you before you even ask! Using advanced technology, Ridgemont Entities will customize each Sidekick specifically for the consumer, so no Sidekick is exactly the same. Just like how we are all not the same. Allow me to show you what I mean…” 

Rose’s eyes met the Doctor’s, whose expression was cold. She had seen that look many times before, when he was calculating.

Deducting. 

She deducted, too. 

They watched in anticipation as Michelle stood back. 

“Let’s say I’m thirsty!” she announced. The droid quickly spun in a fast circle, holding a glass of water when it stopped. “It gets you a drink! Let’s say I am tired,” she continued, watching as the Sidekick spun again and landed with some espresso, “Pronto Energy shot ready to go!” 

There was a cacophony of “oohs” and “aahs” from the audience, but Rose could tell not everything was as it seemed. 

“You said you knew about these things,” she whispered into the Doctor’s ear as they watched. 

“Yes. I met them once about 200 years in the future,” he told her, his eyebrow once again raised as the droid got Michelle a duster for cleaning and a sweater when she was cold. “It was a fleeting meeting, I stopped them, but I wasn’t able to get too close to one and see how they do what they do.” 

“What were they doing, then?” Rose whispered. 

“Starting a Cyber War. A bloody one. They eventually become sentient. They think for themselves. And they rebel,” He told her. 

Rose’s eyes trailed each action the droid took. The red lights on its front began to flicker more rapidly the more it was asked to do in the demonstration. She frowned. 

“ _Become_ sentient, or _are_ sentient?” she mumbled. The Doctor’s eyes met hers. 

“That, Rachel McKinnon, is an excellent question,” he replied. 

The droid continued to show off to its enthused audience, and Rose and the Doctor knew it was the perfect moment to try and get to the hallway that saw Michelle disappear earlier in the night. They began to clap along, cheering and laughing with the people on either side of them, once again slowly backing up toward the drink stand. Michelle was now showing the audience how well the droid could anticipate exercise needs, providing equipment and coaching as she held small three pound weights in her thin arms. 

They reached the closet again, both of their hearts fluttering as they debated about opening it back up, but the Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand firmly and smiled at her instead. 

“Run,” he said, his eyes gleaming. 

They did. 

The crowd didn’t notice, too enamored by the prototype, but the Doctor and Rose sprinted away from the closet and down the hall Michelle used. They didn’t know what they were looking for, but they were both smiling widely as they did. 

She felt so alive, running with him. It didn’t matter if they were running away from something or running to something, as long as he was by her side, holding her hand, she knew she would be okay. 

Her dress was slipping again, and she used her free hand to slide it back into place as they turned the corner. They pushed themselves against the wall, peering their heads over to make sure no one was following. The Doctor looked back at her, both of their chests rising faster than usual as their hearts beat wildly. 

“You run quick in heels,” he said, impressed. Rose rolled her eyes and pulled her dress up just a little, revealing her trainers. The Doctor grinned. 

“Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth!” he said, a little louder than he meant to. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand, pulling him along. 

“C’mon, let’s go,” she whispered. 

He would never tell her how wonderful he found her, wearing _this_ dress, but choosing trainers for her feet so she could run with him. 

His impossible human. 

The hallways were long, and Rose took note of the boring colors and squeaky floor, as if it had been freshly waxed. There weren’t very many windows, and the light from the party was starting to disappear. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and held it in front of them, illuminating the pathway as they stopped running and started walking quickly, still holding hands and looking around. 

It was quiet as they ventured further into the maze of the hallway they had entered. Rose’s eyes were everywhere, as were the Doctor’s, trying to see what opening Michelle might have gone into earlier. 

“It’s just… walls,” Rose whispered. “No doors, just walls.” 

“There’s a door, we just have to find it,” the Doctor told her, swinging his body around to look back the other direction. Rose began to touch the walls, feeling for some sort of ridge or cover she might be able to pull back. The Doctor began to scan, looking for something similar. They didn’t speak for a few minutes, but their minds were in sync as they criss-crossed over each other, checking all corners of the dark hallway. 

At the same time, almost comically, Rose’s hand touched the bottom of the door just as the Doctor’s screwdriver detected the handle. 

They couldn’t see the door, but they could feel it. 

They looked at each other and smiled. Rose stood back as the Doctor changed the settings on his screwdriver and pressed, the molecular cloaking mechanism Michelle placed on the door evaporating as he scanned. 

He grabbed Rose’s hand and unlocked the handle with his screwdriver, opening it. 

They peered into the room for a moment and realized it was a door to the basement. Hundreds of questionable wooden stairs snaked down the side of the wall as they calculated what they were seeing, and they couldn’t find the bottom of the stairs without a light. Rose bit her lip, her instincts telling her this was a trap. The Doctor looked at her. 

“Stay here,” he told her quietly. Her eyes widened. 

“What, no! No way, I’m not letting you walk down there alone -” she began to say. He sighed and placed a hand on her cheek, the coolness of his touch surprising her and sending a shiver down her side. 

“One of us needs to keep an eye on the droid and Michelle. You still have the laser lipstick and sonic beam?” he asked. 

She nodded, her hand gripped the purse closer to her hips. He smiled. 

“Good. Use them if you need to. I will come back up as soon as I can, but we need to know what’s down there,” he said. 

Her eyes lingered in his again. So many unsaid things swirled in her mind as she simply nodded, her heart pulsating against her chest again as he lowered his hand and cleared his throat. 

He almost kissed her. 

Almost. 

With a wide grin, he began to walk down the stairs, turning to her just before he would curve around the wall and be out of sight. 

“See you soon, Rose,” he said very seriously. She smiled at him. 

“Not if I see you first,” she replied. 

There was so much there, in their eyes, as the Doctor smiled back at her. Then, a second later, he was gone. 

::::

Rose took a breath and began to walk back toward the party. She ran, just a little, the unsettled feeling in her stomach growing stronger without the Doctor’s hand to keep her steady. Just as she was about to re-enter the ballroom, she ran into Michelle. 

Literally. 

The drink that was in the tall woman’s hand spilled on the floor and Rose immediately went to apologize. Michelle was huffing and cursing as she picked the drink up, but stopped and frowned when she saw who the cause of the collision was. 

“You again,” she said icily. “Why do I keep finding you in places you shouldn’t be?” 

Rose smirked. She had faced the Daleks, the Cybermen, Werewolves, the Wire, and her mother’s lectures about the Doctor. This woman was _nothing._

“It’s a hallway,” she simply said, her eyes never leaving Michelle’s. 

“Yes, well, it’s not for guests,” she hissed. Rose cocked her head to the side. 

“You’re a guest. Technically, I mean. Didn’t you rent this space for the night?” 

She was smiling that same polite smile she had in the closet. It was making Michelle exceedingly frustrated. 

“Not for _my_ guests,” she corrected, bitterly. Rose hummed. 

“Hm, right,” she began, “well, there was a line to the loo and I was trying to find another. Is there one that way?” 

She pointed behind her to the darkening hallway. Michelle’s eyes bulged for a moment before she composed herself, but Rose saw it. 

She was hiding something. 

“No, not there.,” she said. “Try the opposite hall.” 

“Thanks,” Rose said curtly. Michelle didn’t respond, instead just gave a small sigh and tried to return to the party. Rose watched her for a second before calling back out to her. 

“Oh, Ms. Ridgemont,” she said. Michelle stopped on a dime and turned back around, walking up to Rose in annoyance. “That droid thing of yours, what kind of technology did you say it uses? So it can anticipate your needs?” 

Michelle smiled at her, a taunting smile laced with a warning. 

“That, I’m afraid, if strictly classified information. Known only to the team of scientists at Ridgemont Enterprises. But, if you’d like a droid when they become available, you can always call my office. We will make sure you are… taken care of,” she said sweetly. Rose frowned. 

“Has it ever malfunctioned?” Rose asked, taking a step toward Michelle daringly. The woman laughed. 

“Of course not,” she said. Rose stared at her carefully, and Michelle’s smile began to fall. “Your husband must be wondering where you ran off, too.” 

“He must be,” Rose said again, not smiling this time. Michelle decided to take her leave, practically prancing away, the intensity of Rose’s stare making her nervous. 

Rose took a breath and entered the ballroom, her eyes scanning for the droid. 

::: 

The Doctor was currently making his way down the stairs, arriving at the bottom and looking into the basement. 

There was a dank and musty smell, and he scanned the room for a light switch of some sort. There wasn’t one, but there were haphazardly placed lamps on the ceiling in the middle of the room, directly above a rather large wooden table. He kept his eyes peeled as he approached the table, but nothing around him seemed to be out of the ordinary. 

What was on the table, on the other hand, concerned him. 

As he approached, he saw a bundle of microchips on one end, still wrapped in plastic and stacked in their boxes, and trays of empty vials on the other end. He frowned, picking up one of the vials carefully and placing it back down. He moved over to the microchips and scanned them. They were the same kind veterinarians use in dogs and cats. 

Meant for mammals. 

“Of course,” he muttered, grabbing a sample of each and placing them in his pocket. Whatever the readings Jack was picking up on had something to do with what he found here. 

And he was fairly certain he figured out what it was, but he couldn’t be sure. He needed Rose. 

He took his 3D glasses out of his pocket and put them on, and his stomach dropped. Void Stuff was everywhere, all over the table and the lamps, but mostly swirling over the microchips. These items didn’t come from this world. They came from the other. The one Rose almost fell into forever. 

He took them off immediately, and pressed his thumb and index finger to the bridge of nose, sighing. He was so glad he gave her the chocolate. 

He had to tell her everything, so with a final glance around, he quickly made his way back up the stairs and to the hidden door, breathing a sigh of relief as he was able to exit without any issues for once, re-enabling the molecular cloaking mechanism before he returned to the party to find Rose. 

::::

As he made his way over, Rose was standing by the drink cart. People were dancing now, a DJ placed on the stage that Michelle had done her presentation on. The lighting was a little darker than it was during her speech, and she rolled her eyes as she saw some overly eager interns for Ridgemont Enterprises walking up to the guests with donation ledgers, ready to take as much as they could to fund these droids. 

She pressed her lips together as she scanned the room again, and finally saw the droid tucked into the top right corner of the room, safely stored behind some red ropes one might see at a film premiere. She looked to see if she could find Michelle, who was currently engaged in conversation with a rather large group of potential donors, schmoozing and laughing like one might do when your crush tells a bad joke. Seizing her opportunity, Rose made her way through the crowd toward the droid. A middle aged couple was standing around it, looking curiously at the buttons and lights, and Rose smiled politely at them. 

They stood there quietly for a moment, but ultimately moved on to the food table as Rose stayed put, watching to make sure she was alone before she looked back down at the droid. 

“You’re not happy, are you?” she asked quietly. “Can you hear me?” 

Nothing happened, it just sat there cold and unmoving in the corner. She sighed. 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. 

“Rachel,” a voice said behind her. Rose smiled and turned to face the Doctor, who was already grinning at her. She hugged him, relieved that he was back and gave his arm a squeeze as she pulled away. 

“Did you find anything?” she asked. He nodded. 

“Microchips and vials,” he replied quietly. Rose’s brow furrowed, but the look on the Doctor’s face told her he was thinking something. She waited calmly for him to continue, but he shook his head. “Not here.” 

They grabbed hands, Rose giving the droid one last look as they walked away. 

It’s lights flickered once her head was turned back around. 

They were trying to make their way back to the hall so the Doctor could show her his discoveries, but were interrupted by a very drunk Peter Geralds. Rose groaned. 

“I was wondering where you two ran off to!” he slurred, smiling idiotically at them as he clapped the Doctor on the shoulder. 

“Been here the whole time, Mr. Geralds,” he mused, irritated. The old man snorted and waved his hands in the air. 

“Course, course you were! Though I saw you two sneaking out of the closet there - making your way back? Gonna have a good time, eh?” he said, continue to slur his words and snort. Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed the Doctor’s hand. 

“Let’s go,” she said. The Doctor began to walk away with her, but Peter grabbed his arm. 

“Is she a fox in bed, James?” he asked under his breath, his voice was practically drooling with pent up desire, “’I bet she is. I’ve watched you in that dress all night, Rachel - you are a revelation -” he said sloppily. Rose pulled on the Doctor’s hand, but he was frozen. The Oncoming Storm was peeking through. 

If there was one thing that could make the Doctor angry in a second, it was someone disrespecting Rose. 

“I would be _very, very_ careful about what your next words are,” The Doctor said slowly, his voice dark and warning. 

“Oh, it was a joke,” the old man laughed off. Rose sighed. 

“James, c’mon, it’s fine,” she insisted. 

“See? The little lady just wants to -” Peter began, but it was Rose now who got angry. 

“The ‘little lady’ has a name, you pig. And don’t think I don’t know about your _record._ You are a disgusting excuse for a man and you’re not worth engaging with. Walk away. Now,” she snapped. Peter simply smiled, and moved a little closer to Rose. The Doctor stood in front of her. 

“I _dare_ you to take another step toward her,” the Doctor said. Rose could see the anger in his eyes, and she tried to calm her own annoyance at the old man. 

His eyes flamed in disgust as he stared at Peter, who seemed to understand the message. He nodded, smiling slightly, as he took a step back. 

“She just seems like a handful, if you know what I mean,” Peter said, his words still slurred. He winked at the Doctor. 

“Oh, BIG mistake - “ the Doctor snapped, his eyes still hot with anger, and Rose could swear he was readying himself for a punch. 

“James!” she said fiercely, catching his hand that was slowly starting to form a fist. “Let’s go. Now.” 

The Doctor fumed for a moment longer at Peter, who backed away. Even in his drunken state, he could feel the fury of the Oncoming Storm, and he tripped over his shoelace as he tried to turn and escape the heat of the Doctor’s gaze. 

Rose sighed, pulling again on the Doctor’s hand. He closed his eyes, turning to her and letting out a deep breath. 

“You were gonna punch him,” Rose said flatly. He didn’t say anything, and she smirked. “That’s very.. human,” she teased. “I can fight my own battles, Doctor. Dealt with drunk old men before.” 

“I know,” he said through his teeth, still reeling over the exchange, “but you shouldn’t have to. Plus he’s been watching you all night, all night, as if you’re just this...and... he shouldn’t be able to just say things like that. You are so much more than...” 

He trailed off, clenching his jaw and breaking eye contact. 

She felt a smile tug at her cheeks, and decided to press him just a little. Just to see where the dance would go. 

“Were you… keeping tabs on how much he stared tonight?” she asked, still trying not to grin. He wasn’t looking at her, his eyes glued to the floor as he shrugged. 

“I always notice when they stare at you,” he said quietly. 

_I don’t like it,_ he wanted to say. But he didn’t. Bloody coward. 

“What?” she asked. He had spoken so softly it was hard to hear, especially over the music the DJ had just turned on and the excited screams it caused the crowd to do. 

But if he really said what she just thought he said, she was pulling him back into that closet and picking up where they left off. The universe could wait. 

He looked at her, finally, and once again hazel galaxies were swarming with chocolate. The anger was gone, replaced by something else. She recognized the look, it was something she had seen in his eyes before. When she kissed his helmet on the Impossible Planet. When she told him she was never going to leave him.

It was the same look he often has when she catches him watching her at the TARDIS console. It was warm and inviting and pure. She couldn’t figure out a name for it, and she didn’t try to stop her smile as she drank it in. 

He hugged her. 

She hugged him back. 

His arms were holding her closer than he usually did, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, enjoying the scent of him. She thought he smelled like Christmas, warm cinnamon and cloves and just a hint of apple spice. She bit her lip. This body was born on Christmas, after all. It felt appropriate. 

It was intoxicating. 

She smiled against his skin and his hand pressed the back of her head adoringly. He wanted to stay like that, with his perfect human resting comfortably in his arms, where he knew she was safe from droids and pervy old men alike. 

The Void Stuff under their feet felt too close. 

She could tell he needed this, and she didn’t complain at all when the hug lasted past the moment he would normally have separated himself from her. She just continued to envelop herself in his smell, and closed her eyes. 

“Aren’t you two cute?” Michelle asked. 

“What now?” Rose moaned, reluctantly moving out of the Doctor’s embrace. “We’re just standing here.” 

Michelle rolled her eyes, “I don’t know what you are both playing at, but it isn’t funny. This hallway is off limits. If you want to canoodle on the dance floor or in the other hall, fine,” she told them. Her words were icy, and Rose smirked. 

“Sounds wonderful,” she purred, glaring at Michelle as she grabbed the Doctor’s lapel and pulled him toward the crowd. 

He tried to look over his shoulder to see if Michelle was making her way down the hall toward the basement, but she turned back around and was mingling with more guests. 

“You okay?” he asked Rose as they landed on the dance floor. They weren’t dancing, and were trying to avoid getting hit by the elbows of those who were. She rolled her eyes. 

“I don’t like her,” she said. The Doctor smiled. 

“Quite right not to. Good instincts Rose- Rachel,” he said, smiling and winking at her. Rose smiled back. 

“Looks like we won’t get back to that hallway without a large distraction,” she said. He nodded. 

Suddenly, the DJ came over the mic, and the lights grew dimmer. 

“Alright!!! We’re approaching the stroke of midnight ladies and gentlemen, but the party is far from over. This is one for all the lovebirds out there, enjoy.” 

A slow, piano laden song echoed through the speakers. The Doctor looked down at Rose with a lump in his throat. 

_You have danced with her before._ His mind snapped. He clenched his jaw and swallowed. Hard. 

“Do you, er… wanna maybe?” he began, his mouth suddenly seeming quite dry. “I could tell you what I found,” he added, as if he needed an excuse to hold her close to him. She flashed that smile. 

“I’d love to,” she said. 

“Good, yeah, good,” he said, his voice a slightly higher pitch than usual. She bit her lip, finding his nervousness absolutely adorable as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He felt his breath catch, and he instinctively pulled her waist closer to his, his arm lacing around the small of her back. 

She shuddered at his touch again, and her head came to rest on his shoulder. There wasn’t any space between their bodies as the Doctor began to sway, slowly. She smiled. 

They moved in silence for a moment, before Rose raised her head to look the Doctor in the eye. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted to see how it felt again when her tongue tangoed with his, and she could tell they were both thinking the same thing. 

But he was right. Of course. Now was the perfect private moment for the Doctor to tell her what he found. 

“Go ahead,” she whispered. 

“The microchips are the same kind found in most domestic mammals. Cats and dogs. The vials look like your standard glass vial, the kind used in experiments or at hospitals,” he began, still swaying his body against hers. 

“What do you think it means?” she asked. 

“The only way to know for sure is to open up the droid and scan Michelle, but I think that ‘advanced technology’ they are so keen to talk about is actually ancient technology, found in the first page of the Shadow Proclamation. They are using blood deposits.” he said, turning her around with the music. 

“Blood deposits?” she whispered, their eyes locking. “Is that like the mind control the Syrcorax used?” 

“Not quite, but you’re absolutely brilliant, Rose,” he said, smiling at her. She felt her stomach flutter and a blush creep onto her cheeks. “Blood deposits are a way to link species together. It rarely goes well. Basically, if I’m right, they code the microchip to match a card in the droid and insert that into the human specimen who will be communicating with it. Then, they take a sample of blood from that human, and add it to the circuiting and internal makeup of the droid.” 

Rose frowned, “That would make the droid… human, in a way. Wouldn’t it? If human DNA is part of its design?” 

They didn’t say anything more for a moment, all the pieces clicked in her head. 

“That’s how they become sentient,” she whispered. He nodded. 

“And I think you were right. I think they are sentient now. That one -” he whispered, turning her to the music so she could see the droid, “is alive.” 

They swayed in silence for a few moments, and Rose bit her lip. 

“We have to help it,” she said. The Doctor’s brow furrowed and he looked at her slowly. 

“What?” he asked. 

“The droid. It’s trapped. It enslaved, of course they all rebel later. We have to help it, it’s not right,” she murmured against his shoulder. The Doctor felt his hearts quicken. 

Only his impossible human, the one who became Bad Wolf for him, who helped him see into the heart of a Dalek, would think this way. 

His perfect, kind, compassionate human. 

“Rose -” he whispered, his voice thick. “It’s a monster in the making. Trust me, it… we can’t help it.” 

“But it’s scared, it has to be,” Rose said, her eyes dancing with his as their bodies continued to sway too. He sighed, and laced his hand in her hair, pulling her head back to his shoulder. 

“These things kill, Rose. That war I stopped, it was one of the bloodiest and most gruesome battles I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying something,” he whispered, rubbing his hand over her back. 

“Maybe it gets that way because no one tried to help it early on,” she whispered back. “You said that war is 200 years in the future, Doctor.” 

She didn’t move her head, but she felt his rest on top of hers. 

“It’s too dangerous, Rose. Please,” he whispered. “ I.. if I thought there was any chance of stopping what it will become then I’d say let’s try. But it’s hardwired to kill, it’s an abomination. Not meant to exist. Blood deposits don’t work, they never do.” He felt a lump in his throat again and he tried to push it down. He had to tell her. “Rose. There is Void Stuff on the microchips. And the vials. And I bet if we put those glasses on we’d see it on Michelle the droid and who knows what else. It’s too dangerous.” 

_I won’t lose you._ He almost told her for the second time that night. 

Rose didn’t say anything. Her own senses were on alert knowing everything he found in the basement. As the music faded, she finally brought her eyes back up to his. 

“We can’t let her get away with this, Doctor,” she whispered. He nodded. 

The crowd erupted in applause and began to shout the name of a more upbeat song at the DJ, who subsequently began to play it through the speakers. It was too loud to continue whispering to each other, and the Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand and tried to head toward the opposite hallway. 

Rose got an idea. 

As they exited the main ballroom, she stopped walking and he turned to see what distracted her. 

There was a gleam in her eye the Doctor knew all too well. He flashed her a smile. 

“What are you thinking?” he asked her. She shrugged. 

“I think... we need to cause a distraction. And get back down to that basement,” she said. 

The next thing she knew, the Doctor clicked his sonic screwdriver and all the lights in the room went off. 

“Run,” he whispered. 

They did. Again.


	3. Chapter 3

“This isn’t really what I meant!” Rose cried as she and the Doctor tried to make their way through the screaming hoard of people, terrified by the sudden lack of light. 

“Have some faith, my dear Rachel!” the Doctor teased, looking at her over his shoulder at her and keeping up with their undercover personas. “I have superior vision, I know where we’re going.” 

Rose rolled her eyes and gripped his hand tighter, still weaving in and out of the crowd. 

The DJ was encouraging everyone to stay in their place, telling them the backup generator will be on soon. 

It wouldn’t. 

“Okay, just a little while farther - “ the Doctor said, and he and Rose pulled away from the crowd and into the hallway Michelle wanted them so desperately to avoid. 

“Hurry, she might already be down there,” Rose said. They couldn’t see where Michelle or the droid were and they continued to run, muscle memory kicking in as they weaved their way across the slippery floor in the dark. 

They reached the end of the hall and the Doctor stopped. 

“Oh…” he said, giving Rose an apologetic smile. “I may have covered the door again.” 

“Seriously?” she asked, rolling her eyes at him. 

“I know it was over here somewhere - or wait, maybe it was here… or maybe…” he was spinning in circles, trying to retrace his steps. Rose sighed. 

“James?” she asked, her eyes sparkling as she called him by his alter-ego. She still liked this game. He looked at her, and she gave him a very knowing look. 

“What?” he asked, dumbfounded. Rose smiled. 

“Second to last setting in the history, just click it again and the cloak thing will disappear,” she told him. 

He kissed her. 

He couldn’t help it. 

It was a frenzied and quick kiss, one that left Rose stunned. He smiled at her, completely in love with her and how adorable he found her when she talked science with him. 

Not that he would tell her the first part. 

“You’re brilliant,” he whispered. He turned to check the setting on the sonic screwdriver when Rose felt a wave of confidence wash over her. Maybe it was the wig, maybe it was the dress, maybe it was just him, but whatever the reason, Rose did something she had never done before. 

She kissed him a second time. 

Well, she actually grabbed his lapel and smashed her lips into his, catching him by complete surprise. 

“Rose -” he said after a moment. 

“Shut up and kiss me, Doctor,” she said. 

He did. 

For a moment, they allowed their passion to get the better of them. Her hands snaked their way into his hair, pulling lightly, causing a groan of pleasure to escape his lips against her mouth. She smiled seductively, her tongue darting out to dance with his as his hand rested on her waist. It traced its way up her bare back, grazing it slightly with his nails, and she felt a shudder run through her. 

She found herself against the wall after a moment; the Doctor’s lips moving down to her neck. She was panting lightly as her hands still played with his hair, and she was about to return to his lips when she saw it. 

A red light. 

In the corner. 

The droid. 

“Doctor -” she said, urgency lining her voice. 

“Mmm. Rose - “ he said against her skin before he kissed her again. 

“No, no, Doctor, look -” she said, pointing toward the light. He turned his face to see what she saw, and stepped in front of her protectively when he realized what it was. 

“The Doctor and his blonde companion, I take it. _Rose,_ did he say?” a voice said from the darkness. “I need a light.” 

The droid spun in a circle and produced a flashlight. It was Michelle. 

“I should have known it was you two,” she said bitterly. “The make out session I had to witness _twice,_ though, I could have gone without.” 

The Doctor frowned. 

“Why’re you doing this?” Rose asked, moving to stand next to the Doctor. He sighed, lacing his fingers with hers, knowing it wasn’t worth trying to get her to stay back. 

“Doing what?” Michelle asked casually. “I’m helping move society forward. These droids -” 

“Are going to kill you,” the Doctor said seriously. “They are not to be trusted.” 

“It’s a robot, Doctor,” Michelle said, her voice lined with annoyance. 

“They always are,” the Doctor told her. “Michelle -” 

“It’s Ms. Ridgemont, actually,” she said. He sighed. 

“Ms. Ridgemont,” he corrected, carefully. He wasn’t pleading with her, but he was pressuring her with his words, “trust me. You have to destroy it.” 

Michelle stared at both of them and shook her head. 

“Do you know why there are reward posters for both of you?” she asked, moving a little closer. Rose and the Doctor almost started to laugh. Reward posters were not going to stop them. “Because when we visited another world to research the creation of these droids, they warned us about you. They told us how powerful you are, and how you will stop at nothing to destroy progress. Like you did with the Cybermen. We will not let you do that,” she said slowly. 

“The Cybermen were not progress,” the Doctor snapped. “They were invaders. Raising an army to destroy this planet. The parallel world knows that.” 

“You are wrong,” Michelle laughed off. 

“We were there,” Rose said. The Doctor looked at her. “We saw it, Michelle. They almost killed us. And my family. Whoever you spoke to was wrong.” 

Michelle looked at her carefully. 

“We’re time travelers,” Rose said, seeing the confusion in her face. “We know how this story ends. The world you visited, the technology you think you’re using, the one you think is _so_ safe and confidential, it isn’t. Galaxies know about it. It’s corrupted.” 

The Doctor felt a swell of pride listening to Rose. He squeezed her hand and turned back to look at Michelle. 

“We can stop it, Michelle. If you let us open the droid, we can stop it,” he said. 

“Rubbish,” she spat. Rose sighed. 

“Is that your final answer?” she asked. Michelle began to laugh. 

“What?” she said. Rose looked carefully at her. 

“Not letting us help the easy way. Your final answer?” 

The Doctor saw her hand against the glare of the flashlight move toward her purse. He watched as she removed the sonic beam and wrapped her fingers around it. 

“I will not be bullied,” Michelle spat. Rose sighed. 

“Thought you might say that.” 

She pressed the beam. A wave ricocheted across the hallway and slammed into Michelle, knocking her back. She slid across the floor with a scream; the flashlight flew in the air. The Doctor ran to her, catching her before she hit her head against the wall and saw the impact had knocked her out. Quickly, he scanned her body and found a microchip tucked under the skin on her left wrist. 

The droid stayed in place, its weight holding it down. Rose stared at it as the Doctor scanned Michelle. 

She suddenly felt a pang of sadness again. She couldn’t just kill it. “Are you okay?” she asked. The red lights began to flash. “I know it’s probably lonely and confusing inside there. I want to help you.” 

The red lights flickered more, and she knelt down in front of it. 

“I’m Rose,” she said. “I know you didn’t ask for this.” 

“Rose!” the Doctor called, realizing what she was doing.

“Doctor, please, I know I can talk to it. You say we have to destroy it but I don’t agree. I know I can help!” she said. 

He was at her side, pulling her up carefully and locking his eyes with hers. 

“Rose, no,’ he said quietly. His eyes were begging her not to do anything; not to touch the droid. He had seen too much. He had seen the way the droids from the future spin once and suddenly have whatever weapon they desire, armed and firing at whatever living thing moved. He witnessed the bloodshed, heard the screams. His hands cupped Rose’s face.

“If you anger it, Rose…. It’s not safe,” he said. 

“It never is. But I have to try,” she whispered. The Doctor felt a flash of fear and opened his mouth to protest until he saw the look in her eye. He wasn’t going to win this. He sighed. 

This was the woman who looked into the heart of the TARDIS. Who became Bad Wolf. Who chose _him._

She and Danger are close friends. 

She seemed to understand what he was thinking. She smiled. 

“Catch me if I fall?” she asked. 

“Always,” he told her, capturing her lips in a kiss again. He pulled back immediately, staring at her. “S-sorry.” 

She smiled her tongue in cheek smile before kneeling down the droid again. 

The Doctor stood back. Then his eyes bulged. 

“Rose, wait!” he said. “Check for Void Stuff. Better to know. Just in case.”

They both pulled out their 3D glasses, and sure enough, in the light of the flashlight, they saw it. Swarming over the top of the droid. The Doctor and Rose walked over to Michelle, who also had the faint memory of Void Stuff floating above her. 

“Everything about this project is taken from the parallel world, isn’t it?” Rose asked. The Doctor frowned. 

“Seems so,” he said. 

She ignored the ache that gripped her stomach. A rift was open again. Somewhere. 

They would deal with that later.

“You don’t belong here,” Rose whispered, looking back at the droid. “I know. I lived in your world for a while. All I wanted was to come back home.” 

The Doctor felt his hearts skip. He knew she didn’t mean Powell Estate. 

The red lights flashed on the droid again. It started to move from side to side. The Doctor felt his hearts race and he moved closer to Rose, but she didn’t move a muscle. 

“Show me what _you_ want,” she whispered. 

The Doctor stared at the droid with a curious expression as it suddenly spun in a circle, and landed with a screwdriver. A normal, everyday screwdriver. Rose smiled sadly at it. The Doctor looked at her in amazement. 

“Are you sure?” Rose asked. The red lights flashed again. 

“Let me,” the Doctor said, but the droid suddenly began to shake. 

“No, Doctor,” Rose said, squeezing his hand. “I’ll do it.” 

He let her go, watching carefully as she sat beside the droid. 

“It’ll be okay,” she whispered. “Doctor?” 

“Hm?” he asked, still watching his impossible human in disbelief. 

“The blood deposit. Is it reversible?” she asked. 

His eyes dropped to the floor and he sighed. 

“No. I’m sorry,” he said clearly. Rose nodded. 

“Is this still what you want?” she asked quietly. 

The droid flashed its lights. Rose began to undo the screws on the cover to the control panel, careful not to touch the metal on the droid since the chocolate was still in her system. 

“GET OFF!” Michelle screamed, running across the hall. The Doctor stopped her and held her back. She hit him in the stomach with her elbow and he toppled over in surprise, giving her just enough time to tackle Rose away from the droid. 

“Oh, come ON!” Rose groaned, attempting to stand up. Michelle tackled her again, and Rose managed to flip them over so she could break away from Michelle’s grasp. 

“No, please!” Michelle screamed. “I have worked so hard on this!” 

Rose was moving over to the droid again, apologizing to it, when Michelle grabbed her wig and yanked it off her head. Blonde curls fell to her shoulders and Michelle screamed, angry she hit another snag in her attempt to stop what was going on. 

The Doctor’s breath was recovering and he looked up to see Michelle trip Rose. He groaned. 

“Perfect, just what we need,” he said. Michelle had tears streaming down her face as Rose caught her next attack, wrapping her wrists in her hands. 

“STOP!” she said. “Michelle. Trust me.” 

“You are evil, both of you!” she shouted. Rose swiftly moved to the control panel again. She got one more screw out of the panel when Michelle went to stop her. The Doctor moved to her, but quickly changed courses and grabbed Rose instead. 

He had seen it. 

The red lights held still on the droid as Michelle once again tried to stop Rose. 

It spun. 

A gun appeared. 

It fired. 

Rose shouted as the Doctor held her to him and covered her with his body. Michelle fell to the ground quickly, and the droid began to shake. 

“We have to go, Rose, now!” the Doctor urged, yanking her hand with him. Rose looked back in shock, stumbling as she trailed the Doctor. 

“It killed her,” she mumbled. 

“She angered it,” he replied. 

Rose felt a wave of devastation as the Doctor was able to tuck against a wall around the corner from where Michelle was laying. The droid was still shaking. 

“Are you okay?” the Doctor asked Rose, his hand cupping her cheek. She had a blank expression on her face, looking out into the darkness of the hallway. 

“Rose?” 

She looked at him, a million thoughts running through her head. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. 

She ran. 

“ROSE!” He screamed, immediately running after her. 

She knew he would be furious, she knew it was risky, but she knew the droid needed her and no one else was going to do it. She raced back to it, ignoring Michelle’s lifeless body on the ground next to its flashing lights. 

“I still want to help. Please don’t be angry. I have to move fast. You still sure?” she asked the droid. It’s lights simply flashed and the shaking stopped. “Okay.” 

“ROSE, DON’T!” 

He was petrified as he ran to her. To him, the droid was angered and out of control. 

The Doctor was turning the corner, running like lightning toward her as she undid the final screw. The cover fell to the ground with a small sound. Then, with slightly shaky hands, she removed the laser lipstick. 

“This might hurt. I’m sorry. But you’ll be free.” she whispered. The lights flashed. 

She burned a hole into the control panel. The Doctor grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back with a force he didn’t know he had as the droid malfunctioned. Sparks began to fly everywhere and the blood from Michelle’s vial leaked out the bottom, spilling onto the floor. Rose watched, hiding behind her arm slightly as the Doctor gazed with his face cold as stone. The fire reflected on his eyes, slowly dissipating as the droid’s lights flickered one last time. 

They stood there in near complete darkness for a moment, the only light coming from the flashlight. Then another moment. And another. 

It felt like an eternity passed before the Doctor spoke. 

“Let’s go,” he said. His voice was thick and sharp. 

Rose stayed silent as they approached the wall. The Doctor adjusted the sonic screwdriver settings and pulled back the cloaking device on the door. He swung it open with force, letting Rose go first as he followed in silence, illuminating the path with the sonic screwdriver. 

He still didn’t speak as they approached the table. Rose looked around, the small basement making her feel uneasy. 

“Purse,” the Doctor said, holding his hand out. She gave it to him wordlessly, and watched as he threw the unopened microchips and vials into it. 

It was bigger on the inside. 

He scanned the room once more, making sure the coast was clear before looking at Rose. The dim light from the lamps illuminated behind him, making his eyes seem darker than usual. 

She stared at him, completely unsure of what to say. But she wasn’t going to apologize. She knew that much. 

He didn’t speak, still too angry and upset to talk to her rationally. He had done that in the past and it never went well, and he didn’t want to fight. 

So he walked. Rose followed. 

When they emerged, they realized that the crowd must have figured out where the exits were, as the screaming and panic sounds had ended. The Doctor knelt down next to Michelle and sighed. Then he looked at the droid. 

It was just a pile of scraps at this point. In the light of the flashlight he could see the control panel smoking. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, his anger seemingly evaporating into relief. 

Rose saw his shoulders hunch and she stood still, waiting for him to talk. 

“That was… _so_ irresponsible, and reckless, and idiotic, Rose,” he whispered. His back was to her and she sighed. 

“Yeah, well…” she muttered. “No one else was going to do it.”

He knew she was right. And he was ashamed. He knew that after 900 years, in many ways, he had lost the ability to believe in second chances. In the end, people and droids and aliens alike, they always broke his hearts. 

Except Rose. 

She was a glimmer of hope in his lonely universe. Sunshine on a cloudy day. She could see the good where others would simply shy away. Or run away. Or kill. 

And she was strong. So strong. The strongest person he’d ever met. 

If there was one thing he believed in, just one thing, he believed in her. 

He stood up, slowly turning around to face her. 

“I was scared, Rose,” he whispered. His eyes met hers for the thousandth time that night and she nodded. 

“I know,” she said. “But you caught me, just like you said you would. Grabbed me before the bullet fired. Pulled me back before the panel exploded. I trusted you.” 

“And I trust you. Of course I do, does that even need saying?” the Doctor told her. “You were fantastic.” 

She smiled a little at him. “Yeah?” 

“Yes,” he wrapped her in a hug. She pulled him closer, breathing in his Christmas scent again. 

There was so much more he wanted to say. About how unbelievable it was that the droid trusted her, how she figured out what it wanted, how bittersweet it was that in the end - even the droid understood it shouldn’t exist. 

That he loved her.

But he didn’t say any of it. He just hugged her still and kissed the top of her head. 

“Doctor?” Rose finally mumbled against his shoulder. 

“Hm?” he said. 

“I want chips.” 

He burst into laughter, the urge to kiss her again nearly knocking him off his feet. 

“I think that can be arranged, Rose Tyler,” he said, smiling adoringly at her. 

“I also think we need to close the rift,” she said. 

“‘Me too. Good thing we have a time machine. Chips first?” He asked, a gleam in his eye. 

She nodded and they began to walk away, Rose taking one final look behind her at the droid. 

There was a time, only a few years ago, where the act of killing that droid would have destroyed her. But now, she smiled to herself, knowing she had helped it in the only way she could. 

They could hear sirens in the distance and began to run quickly back to the TARDIS, still parked just a block outside of the event center. 

They opened the door quickly and slid inside. The Doctor was moving to the control panel, getting ready to take Rose to New New York - the best location for quality chips. He was about to comment on it when he saw her standing by the entrance, her hand clasped to the railing. 

“Are you okay?” he asked her, moving over to her. 

“What happens now?” she asked. He knew what she meant and he simply shook his head. 

“The police will see the droid killed Michelle. They’ll probably assume she was the one who destroyed the control panel. The droids still get made, somehow. All we did was delay the process. But that’s all we can do. We can’t prevent history from happening, we can only react to what we see,” he told her. She shook her head. 

“No, not that. I know that,” she said. “I meant - “ 

She stopped and sighed. 

_Oh._ He thought. He didn’t know what to say, he just stared at her. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Rose smiled knowingly at him. 

“Raincheck on chips, yeah?” she said. “I’m gonna go to bed. Goodnight.” 

He watched her walk away, kicking himself that words were failing him so miserably at the moment. 

“Goodnight, Rose,” he said. She turned in the entry hall to the bedrooms and felt her heart drop, but smiled at him to hide it. 

They may never label anything. But she’ll take whatever fleeting moments she can get. 

Because he was her universe. 

And she would spend forever with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you follow my work on Teaspoon with an Open Mind, I'm redoing this series a bit. Will still be updating the second story I have on there but on this site the series will veer in a new fun direction. Hope all is well!


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